THE SCENE: In the chilling passage below, a medieval witch describes the process by which she and her coven killed the children of the local lord using a clay voodoo doll.
THE TEXT: I and my husband, Issobell Gowdie, spouse to Johne Gilbert, in Lockloy, and Bessie and Margret Wilsones, in Auldern, made a picture of clay, like the Laird of Parkis eldest son. My husband brought home the clay. It was made in my house; and THE DIELL himself with us. We broke the clay very small, like meal, and sifted it with a sieve, and poured water amongst it, with words that THE DIVELL learned us, in the DIVELLIS name. I brought home the pater, in a pig [pitcher], out of the Rud-wall [holy well]. We were all upon our knees, and out hair about our eyes, and our hands lifted up to THE DIVELL, and our eyes steadfast looking upon him, praying, and saying words which he learned us, thrice over, for destroying of this Laird’s children, and to make his house heirless. It was very sore wrought. It was about the bigness of a feadge or pow [skull]. It was just mad like the bairne [child]; it wanted to mark of any male child, such as head, face, eyes, nose, mouth, lips, and the hands of it folded down by its sides. It was put to the fire, till it shrunk, and then a clear fire about it, till it was hard. Then we took it out of the fire, in THE DIVELLIS name, and we laid a cloth about it. Each day we would water it, and then soft and bake it; and turn it at the fire each other day, until that bairne died; and then laid it up, and stirred not until the next bairne was born. And then, within half a year after that bairn was born, we took it out again out of the cradle and cloth, and would dip it now and then among water, and bake it and soft it at the fire, each other day once, as we did against the other that was dead, until that bairn died also.
– Confession of Janet Breadheid, spouse of John Taylor, in Belmakeith, 17th Century AD
